Biodome
Biodome Category:Developed for second grade Student worthiness Tried and Trusted! Primary biological content area covered *Habitats for living organisms *Self-sustaining habitats *Water cycle Materials *1 two-liter soda bottle per group *1 bottle cap per group *Thick cotton string *Scissors *Thumb tack *Potting soil *Something to plant *Tape *Permanent marker *Observation Journal "My Biodome Journal" (Simple journals for the students to record observations.) Handouts Each student will be given their own "My Biodome Journal." This way they will have a journal to record daily observations of their plant's growth. Along with their observations, students can also draw pictures of their plant's progress on the cover of their journal or on other pages inside. Description of activity A biodome is a self sustaining habitat for plants. Students will make a biodome in a recycled soda bottle and watch as their seeds grow. Students will also see how the moisture in the biodome continues to recycle itself. Lesson plan Teacher preparation: 1) Remove the outer labels on all soda bottles for better visibility of your plants growth. 2) Poke a hole in the soda bottle's cap and then proceed to enlarge it. Use scissors or a pencil to make the hole big enough for the string to fit through. Attach the cap to the top that is remaining. Activity: 1) With the marker, make a small mark 2 or 3 centimeters above the bottom curve of the bottle. Then make a mark about halfway between the bottom curve of the bottle and the top curve. 2) After students mark the bottles, the teacher should cut the line with scissors which will cut the top of the bottle off for the students. 3) Soak the string in water. 4) Pour water up to the lowest line on the soda bottle. 5)Lower the string into the water and hold it so it stays in the middle of the bottle 6) Use a piece of paper as a funnel and pour the soil up to the second line on the bottle. Make sure that the string stays in the center of the soil. 7) Make a small hole in the dirt and place a seed into the hole and then cover the hole with dirt. (If the seed is small enough, you can place a straw into the hole and drop the seed through the straw.) 8) Put the top of the string through the hole in the cap. The string acts as a wick which will bring water in the soil. 9) Start to water your seeds with enough water to make it damp. 10) Make sure the cap is on and your biodome is complete. The biodome is all set because the water is passed into the soil through the string and the water continues to energize the plants. Be sure to allow your biodome to be in sunlight because sunlight is an important part of helping plants grow. Potential pitfalls There might not be enough work for all the students to do. Students cannot take the biodome home because their entire group is sharing it. Students might have already done a similar experiment. Students could make individual biodomes in smaller bottles to take home. Math connections *Students can measure and graph the growth of the seed they plant. *Students can also predict how tall they think their plant will grow and see how close their predictions were. *Students can equally distribute seeds for each member of the group. Literature connections *''The Magic School Bus Gets Planted: A Book About Photosynthesis by Lenore Notkin *''Nature's Green Umbrella'' by Gail Gibbons * The Kid Haven Science Library Series Photosynthesis by Bonnie Juettner Connections to educational standards *S1-2:48 (DOK 2) Students demonstrate their understanding of Processes and Change over Time within Earth Systems by…". Observing and recording weather data through the seasons and identifying and drawing conclusions based on the patterns in the data collected. Science Concepts: a. The sun provides the light and heat necessary to maintain the temperature of the earth. b. There are cyclical changes that we see throughout the seasons that can be observed and recorded. *S1-2:46 (DOK 2) Students demonstrate their understanding of Processes and Change over time within Systems of the Universe by…." Observing, describing and comparing color and texture of different types of rocks and soils. AND Conducting tests on how different types of soils retain water. Science Concepts: a. Earth materials are solid rocks and soils. b. Soils and rocks have properties of color and texture; in addition, some soils retain different amounts of water. *S1-2:30 (DOK 1) Students demonstrate their understanding of Structure and Function-Survival Requirements by…" Observing and recording the parts that make up living things (i.e., roots, stems, leaves, flowers, legs, antennae, tail, shell). Science Concept: a. Living things (plants and animals) are made of parts that enable survival. *S1-2:34 (DOK 2) Students demonstrate their understanding of Energy Flow in an Ecosystem by…" Experimenting with plant growth under different conditions, including light and no light. Science Concept: a. Plants need light(energy)to survive. Next steps Students can keep a daily journal and record observations that come across as their biodomes begin to grow and develop. This way they can track how long it took for the seeds they planted to bloom while observing other aspects of their growing plant. They can also record any other data including growth of the plant once it starts to sprout and continue to grow. From here they can take the mathematical data and graph it on a daily basis to see its productivity overall once the plant has fully grown. Citations and links *http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/biodome.html (Where our idea came from!) *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodome *Vermont State Grade Expectations can be found at the State of Vermont Department of Education website. http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/pubs/framework.html